157th HAA Battery Diary entry 30 April 1940

All remains quiet on the Western Front with only 10 days to go before the German invasion.  None of those involved in digging trenches and building huts on the airfields of the AASF would believe that all this work, undertaken on most days since October 1939 would be abandoned and France would be under German occupation from 20 June 1940.

I think it is clear from the daily routine of the soldiers of the BEF that the Generals were expecting a second war of attrition.  Whilst the British Army were digging their defences the French were sitting inside the "impregnable" Maginot Line content that the Germans would never get through.  As April comes to a close, although intelligence was suggesting that the Germans were preparing to attack, the Allied forces were preparing to defend.  The soldiers on the ground, such as Frank and his colleagues from the British Territorial Army (part time soldiers) had no idea of the storm that was about to hit them and the Generals had no idea of how quickly a battle could be lost when armoured fighting vehicles and aerial supremacy were deployed as the Germans did. 

Looking at the grand sweep of the history of Europe in the 20th Century from 2015, I think it is clear that the Battle of France 1940 was a continuation of World War I, which the German leadership felt had been left unfinished in 1918.  The French continued this during the 1920s and 30s with the building of the Maginot Line and the Germans with the develop of the tank warfare.  Taking this thought forward it was not until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s that Europe was truly at peace again after a war that started in 1914, or even the Prussian Wars of the 1870s.

However, back to April 1940 and the 157th HAA Battery were continuing to prepare for 
battle that they believed would last much longer than 6 weeks.

30/04/40
08:00 Seven guns ready for action.  Field works and hut construction continued.

157th HAA Battery Diary entry 29 April 1940

Following the preparation the day before for the inspection by Brigadier Crewsden the inspection was carried out during 29 April 1940.  The Battery diary records the following:

29/4/40
0800 Seven guns ready for action. Whole battery is inspected by Brigadier O Crewsden in the following order:

09:45 PIP II gun position - Vraux
11:15 PIP II billets
12:00 BHQ Versenay [Battery HQ where Frank was based]
15:00 PIP I gun position - Auberive
16:15 PIP I billets
17:00 PIP III - Auberive

157th HAA Battery Diary entry 28 April 1940

Preparation for movement of one AA gun from Auberive where 218 Squadron RAF were based.  218 Squadron was equipped with Fairey Battles. 157th HAA Battery was equipped with outdated 3 inch guns, which were not as effective as the more modern 3.7 inch guns.

The diary entry reads:

28/4/40 Seven guns ready for action.  One from PIP I on wheels ready for removal to PIP III.
Preparation for inspection by Brigade Commander, Brigadier Crewsdon.

157th Battery Diary Entry 25 April 1940

The Battery diary entry for 157th HAA Battery records the following for 25 April 1940:

25\4\40 Eight guns ready for action. field works and hut building continued on all stations.
Inspect ammunition - exchanged for fresh rounds in accordance with Orders received from GHQ (AA) 12 Brigade reference s\16 of 22 April 1940.

German Propaganda Leaflets dropped

On the night of 19-20 April 1940 a high flying German plane dropped propaganda leaflets over the area around Vezernay.  Frank picked up one of the leaflets and it has survived the past 75 years, faded and torn but an amazing piece of history to hold in your hand.  The Regimental Diary of the 53rd HAA Regiment recorded the following:

Leaflets Dropped around PIP 1; see Appendix K

The diary which is held at the National Archive in Kew has a copy of a similar leaflet at Appendix K, also written in French.

The diary of the 157th HAA Battery records the following:

20/4/40 Considerable enemy activity during night 19-20/4/40.  Leaflets dropped at PIP I and PIP II.  Considerable fire by French AA Batteries.  Indicator rounds fired by PIP I and PIP II at approx. 0635 hours.  Further leaflets dropped by unseen enemy plane flying very high - approx. 1100 hours.

0800 Eight guns ready for action.  Field works and hut building continued on all stations.

The double sided German leaflet, written in French, is attempting to justify the invasion and occupation of Poland in September 1939 by stating that the Polish Army committed atrocities against the ethnic Germans living in Poland.  The subtitle claims 58,000 Germans were killed.  The leaflet is pictured below, front and back.

Field Service Postcard - 18 April 1940

FIELD SERVICE POSTCARD

I am quite well.

I have received your letter dated -----

Letter follows at first opportunity

F. A. Faulkner

18/4/40

This postcard was filled out as shown above and addressed to Frank's father, William Faulkner, but was not sent but was filed along with Frank's other correspondence.